ADDING MULTIMEDIA American Honda Motor Co. Begins Use of Class 8 Hybrid Truck

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of its on-going effort to reduce its global CO₂ footprint and fuel consumption, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., (www.honda.com) today became the first company in its industry to introduce a Class 8 hybrid diesel electric truck into its truck fleet at its parts center in Alpharetta, Ga. Built for Honda by Peterbilt Motors Company, the Smartway^(SM)-certified* Model 386 hybrid truck is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 45 tons per year, as compared to its diesel counterpart.

Honda uses Class 8 trucks to transport service parts between its parts centers and dealerships. The company’s diesel truck fleet, operated by its truck fleet partner, UPS Freight Truckload, typically travels 300,000 miles per day.

The hybrid truck will be utilized along two routes — a hilly route in Tennessee and a relatively flat one in Georgia — in order to evaluate the truck’s fuel economy under various driving conditions. Honda will alternate the hybrid with a standard diesel truck and will collect data using engine telematics to accurately compare the performance of the two trucks on the same routes. Testing and evaluation will take place over the next year.

“We’re excited to add this environmentally advanced truck to our fleet,” said Jim Roach, senior vice president of Parts and Service for American Honda. “With our truck fleet driving hundreds of thousands of miles per day, we feel this is a great opportunity for Honda to further reduce its carbon footprint.”

The hybrid truck operates much like a hybrid passenger vehicle, utilizing a parallel diesel-electric hybrid system developed by Eaton Corporation. Similar to Honda’s hybrid vehicles, Peterbilt’s truck captures energy during braking and stores it in its system’s batteries. The system also improves fuel efficiency and lowers emissions by powering the heating, air conditioning and vehicle electrical systems utilizing a no idle auxiliary power unit while the engine is off.

In addition, Honda will soon be adding a Peterbilt Class 7 medium duty hybrid truck at its parts centers in Irving, Texas, and Alpharetta, Ga.

About Honda

Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions, including advanced gasoline engines, gasoline-electric hybrids, natural gas-powered engines, and hydrogen fuel cells. Founded in Japan in 1948, Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary. The company, which marks its 50^th year of U.S. operations in 2009, has invested more than $10.6 billion in its North American operations with 16 major manufacturing facilities, employment of more than 35,000 associates, and annual purchases of more than $18.8 billion in parts and materials from suppliers in North America.

More information about Honda’s environmental initiatives and products can be found in the annual North American Environmental Report which can be downloaded at http://www.corporate.honda.com.

*The Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway^(SM) brand identifies products and services that reduce transportation-related emissions, and signifies a partnership among government, business and consumers to protect the environment, reduce fuel consumption, and improve air quality for future generations.

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